In later generations, transportation in the Yangtze River Delta region was very developed, and the slogan of free shipping in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai was not for nothing. However, at the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, there were no roads, trains, or high-speed airplanes. Transportation mainly relied on waterways.
Shanghai's large-scale cross-city railway will not be completed until the Shanghai-Nanjing Railway, which is part of the Beijing-Shanghai Railway, a few years later.
Fortunately, the river system in the south of the Yangtze River is spread all over, and inland waterway shipping has always been very developed. The most typical one is the Wusong River, which connects Suzhou and Shanghai, but it is called Suzhou River after flowing to Shanghai.
Li Yu, Zhang Yuanji, and Li Shutong were riding a small ship of the China Merchants Inland Water Navigation Company. China Merchants Inland Shipping Company has inland terminals in Suzhou, Hangzhou, Huzhou, Jiaxing, Changzhou, Wuxi, Zhenjiang, Yangzhou, etc., which is quite convenient.
In fact, judging from the current situation, the traffic in this area is still one of the best in the country. The three of them took a car and a small boat and arrived in Huzhou within a few days.
During his free time on the road, Li Yu had already started writing introductory lectures on biology. He also bought several biological works in English and started writing from memory.
Although there will inevitably be some omissions in this way, at least it can ensure accuracy and popularity. Today’s elementary schools are said to be elementary schools, but in fact many of them are children in their teens.
Arriving at the inland dock in Huzhou, the three of them went straight to Qianyuan where the Lu family was located. I saw a lot of people selling writing brushes on the road. Li Shutong and Zhang Yuanji both received strict private education and couldn't put it down.
Huzhou has a title:
"Chinese Calligraphy City"
"The City of Calligraphy" has produced many great calligraphers in modern times. In the early years of the Republic of China, there were
It is known as "South sinks and North falls", among which
"Shen" is Shen Yinmo from Huzhou. As for the four treasures of the study, pens, inks, paper and inkstones are all famously produced in Anhui: Hui ink is from Huizhou, Anhui, She inkstone is also from Huizhou, Anhui, rice paper is from Xuancheng, Anhui, and even the pen used to be a Xuan pen from Xuancheng, Anhui.
It was not until the Yuan Dynasty that Hubi in Huzhou stood up. Zhang Yuanji and Li Shutong couldn't help but buy a few. Seeing that Li Yu was indifferent to this as a cultural person, they were curious: "What a good pen, why don't you buy some?" Li Yu smiled bitterly and said: "I prefer to use hard pens. ." They seemed not to know how poor Li Yu's level of Chinese studies was.
Qianyuan is still very big. After all, the Lu family is a big family in Huzhou, but now Lu Shufan is really not doing well.
Originally, the Lu family had shops and pawnshops in Huzhou, as well as a silk factory and bank in Shanghai, and their income was very high.
However, during the Gengzi Incident, Lu Shufan heard that many fellow villagers in Beijing and Tianjin were suffering, so he organized a relief society, chartered two large ships, and went to Beijing and Tianjin twice, rescuing more than 6,000 people returning from the south and transporting back more than 200 coffins. Tool.
It was he who transported the body of Nie Shicheng, who died on the battlefield, back to his hometown for burial. At the same time, relief grains were distributed and medical bureaus were opened, which incurred huge expenses.
Most of this money came from the Relief Society. The imperial court only allocated 2,000 taels of silver, and the remaining more than 70,000 taels were raised by the Relief Society.
Although the Lu family owed a lot of money because of this, it was not overwhelmed. After all, there was a relief society behind it. Moreover, it was originally a sin caused by the Qing government, and it was unable to save the people, so it could only let the people help each other.
Everyone has a good impression of the Lu family. A year later, because the last disaster relief was very successful, people gave him the title of Lu Shufan.
"The good man of Huzhou", Li Hongzhang arranged for him to provide disaster relief. But this time, for some unknown reason, Lu Shufan actually lent the money he raised to some private individuals, perhaps thinking that they would be successful in the future. Unexpectedly, they were a bunch of liars and the money would never be returned.
Once this happens, it will have a huge impact on fundraising. Moreover, because they were worried about disaster relief, the Lu family's silk factory and bank in Shanghai were neglected and fell into trouble.
In short, a series of blows directly cut off the Lu family's money. As for why he sold the book collection to the Japanese later, it was probably because he was disappointed with the Qing government. After all, he himself wanted to sell the book collection to the government.
But counting on the Qing government can only be haha. The three of them knocked on the door of Qianyuan, and soon a steward came to open the door. Li Yu sent a greeting card: "Li Yu from the capital, Zhang Yuanji from Shanghai, and Li Shutong would like to see the master of the Lu family." The steward glanced at the greeting card, and then at the three of them. The man seemed to be caught in an ideological struggle and did not speak for a while.
Li Yu asked again: "Butler?" The butler gritted his teeth and said, "Come in! But now there is a Japanese man in the house, Shimada Han, who is visiting the master. Hey, you go and have a look." Li Yu did not expect The Japanese came so quickly, so they hurriedly asked: "Where are they now?" The housekeeper said: "They are all in Qiansong Tower, you can come with me." Zhang Yuanji also hurriedly said: "Please lead the way!"
The name "皕松楼" can be seen from the literal meaning, two
"Hundred" means there are two hundred Song-printed books. This was the high praise of Lu Xinyuan, the head of the Lu family, for his collection.
After all, Song edition books are the most precious in the book collection world. By the way, in fact, most of the books in the Song Dynasty were printed with withered blocks.
Block printing was invented in the Tang Dynasty and became widely used in the middle and late Tang Dynasty. However, very few of the Tang and Five Dynasty engravings have been handed down.
Although movable type printing was introduced in the Song Dynasty, block printing was still widely used. One more thing, what’s interesting is that now Koreans always think that movable type printing is theirs!
Because the earliest book with movable type printing technology found so far is "Qingliang Dashun Zong Xin Yao Dharma" written by Goryeo at the end of the 13th century.
But everyone knows that this is just an isolated piece of evidence from South Korea, and China has much more evidence.
But Koreans don't think so. They immediately feel that movable type printing is theirs, and the earliest discovery of it is mine!
Then treat it as a national treasure and promote it vigorously. It even became a golden sign of the local tourism industry and built a museum of ancient printing.
It's also quite funny. Anyway, Li Yu has long been used to this situation. The whole world belongs to South Korea!
Talking about the Song version of the book, it is not only exquisite in knife skills and strong in fonts, but also carefully edited and has high academic value.
Therefore, the Song Dynasty is said to be the best in the world, but by the Qing Dynasty it was already rare. For this reason, book collectors in the Qing Dynasty often showed off their collections of Song edition books.
During the Qianlong period, Huang Pilie, a famous bibliophile in Suzhou, once collected more than 100 Song editions, so he named his library
"One hundred Song Dynasty books" boasts to the world that he has a collection of hundreds of Song Dynasty books. As soon as they arrived at the downstairs of Kansong, they saw the head of the Lu family, Lu Shufan, and the Japanese Han Shimada walking out.
Although it was not the first time for Han Shimada to climb the stairs, it was not long ago, and it was so scary to see it. They are all good things!
Shimada Han said: "Lu, Mr. Lu, our Japanese people very, ah, respect Sinology very much. We will definitely ensure that the Lu family's collection of books is intact." Shimada Han stuttered a bit, but he spoke Chinese very well. Difference.
Lu Shufan was still a little hesitant.
"I have never been to Japan. Does Japan really pay so much attention to Sinology?" Han Shimada said: "Of course! Any Japanese who has read a book knows about Sinology." Lu Shufan was surprised: "I didn't expect this!" Shimada said Han continued to attack: "The price we can offer will definitely satisfy you. Mr. Iwasaki is also the head of a large Japanese family, and I cherish him." Lu Shufan asked: "The Mr. Iwasaki you are talking about also has an official status or Fame?" Shimada Han said: "Mr. Iwasaki is a businessman." Lu Shufan frowned slightly,
"It turned out to be a businessman." Shimada Han said: "But Mr. Iwasaki is an incredible businessman, and he has the highest respect for Sinology in his heart." Li Yu said loudly: "No matter how respectful you are, the roots of these things are also there. The land of China." Lu Shufan looked at Li Yu and the others: "Who are you?" Li Yu cupped his hands and said, "I'm sorry, I'm from the capital, my name is Li Yu, this is Mr. Zhang Yuanji, and this is Li Shutong. We heard that Mr. I have something to ask for, so I came here to see you." Lu Shufan murmured: "Zhang Yuanji? I remember you were here." Zhang Yuanji was actually a little angry when he saw that Lu Shufan actually led the Japanese up the stairs, and he was rejected twice when he tried to go up. Isn't it better than a Japanese?
He said a little unhappily: "I have indeed been here, but I didn't even go up a single staircase in the Song Building." Old Lu Shufan blushed a little and coughed: "This time, that time." Li Yu said: "Your Excellency really wants to sell the book collection ? This is the precious hard work of the deceased master." Lu Shufan sighed: "If we are not forced into a desperate situation, I don't want to." Li Yu said: "If the matter is not unreasonable, we can discuss it. It's much better than selling it to Japan." Shimada Han didn't expect a few people to rush out halfway, and said quickly: "With the current situation, we are the only ones in Japan who can completely preserve the Lu family's collection of books. Otherwise, these rare books may be lost to various places." This is Lu Shufan's heart. Even if he sells it, he wants to sell it as completely as possible. Since he can no longer protect it, at least let them stay together.
Although Tian didn't feel bad for selling his son to his father, Lu Shufan was still a civil servant after all, and at least he still had a sense of honor and disgrace.
Shimada Han continued: "Even the imperial palace and the Old Summer Palace were burned down by the fire. Can't you see the current situation?" Li Yu directly refuted: "In that case, why is the Lu family at this stage? Mr. Tian doesn’t know? If it weren’t for the Eight-Nation Allied Forces, how could there be so many victims? If it wasn’t for the relief of the victims, how could the Lu family owe so much money? And among the Eight-Nation Allied Forces, you, Japan, are also there! Why, you committed a crime , and now you want to come over and be a good person?"
"You, you, I..." Shimada Han stuttered and couldn't answer the words for a while. Li Yu then said to Lu Shufan: "Master Lu, we can understand your mood, but I think the Lu family has not reached the end of the road yet, and it will only last as long as it lasts. If we really want to sell it, our business consortium will also Buy it in its entirety." Business Consortium was the temporary name Li Yu discussed with Zhang Yuanji.
In fact, they were all sold at once. Lu Shufan was really reluctant to part with it. He really wanted to delay it for a while, so he changed the topic: "I just asked Mr. Shimada to take a look and have some academic discussions with Japanese friends." Li Yuye Give him a step: "Of course it's worth discussing." They couldn't raise that much money for a while. Now Lu Shufan's psychological price is still around 250,000 silver dollars. For such a precious collection of books, it is already an extremely low price. , the actual value is far more than 250,000 yuan.
Lu Shufan said: "Everyone, please take a look upstairs." They all saw Shimada Han entering the Kansong Tower just now. It would be unreasonable if they were not invited to take a look.
Zhang Yuanji's mood immediately improved, and he quickly climbed up first. The Lu family protected this batch of Song-printed books very well. Although Li Yu didn't know how to collect them, they contained a lot of atmosphere of the era at first glance. Any book would be a priceless treasure in later generations.
It is hard to imagine that in 1907, a small steamer towed three Wushan boats along the canal to take away so many precious books from Huzhou.
Moreover, the book sales were carried out in a very secretive manner at that time, and no one from all walks of life knew about it. After these books left the Song Dynasty Building, they first arrived in Shanghai, where the Lu family and the Jingjiatang library staff of the Japanese Iwasaki family counted them for twenty days.
Then the two parties made a settlement, and the Japanese paid 120,000 silver dollars, of which 2,000 yuan was Shimada Han's errand fee.
It wasn't until these books arrived in Japan, and Han Shimada sent a long article on "The Origin of the Collection of Books in the Song Dynasty" to Dong Kang, a collector in Jiangsu, that everyone knew that the books were gone.
The whole country was in an uproar. Li Yu didn't start to look through it. He couldn't understand it anyway. He just looked at the binding and the ink color. He couldn't tell the other quality at all.
On the other hand, Li Shutong and Zhang Yuanji were always amazed, as if they had entered a big treasure house. Zhang Yuanji also has a library, but he has not received many rare books so far.
Seeing their situation, Shimada Han finally managed to persuade Lu Shufan, but his mood seemed to have changed a little.
The more he looked, the more anxious he became, so he said to Lu Shufan: "Mr. Lu, you can set a price. We can accept any price, as long as the delivery is made as soon as possible." Li Yu laughed and said, "Why are you in such a hurry? You can't buy by force. ." Shimada Han was told that he could not confront Li Yu directly, but continued to Lu Shufan: "Japanese culture is ultimately the continuation of Oriental culture and Chinese culture, and it has continued from ancient Chinese culture to the present day. And now the core of Oriental culture is We have arrived in Japan from China during the Song and Yuan Dynasties, so we are more qualified to purchase this batch of books." Li Yu almost laughed, why did Naito Hunan's point of view come out.
He said: "You don't need to say this, China is China, Japan is Japan, don't secretly change concepts and confuse them." Naito Honan's
The "cultural center moving theory" is really ridiculous, but the Japanese really think so now. Li Yu particularly disliked Naito's overly far-fetched knowledge. After reading some about Continental Drift, he said that it must be used in other places.
Including Qian Qianyi’s sentence in the late Ming Dynasty
"There will be no China after Yashan, and there will be no China after the Ming Dynasty." These are all nonsense. Qian Qianyi's words are clearly an excuse for surrendering to the Manchus. Unexpectedly, many so-called
The word "public intellectual" is used on the lips, which really has ulterior motives. As for Shimada Han, there are many people who search for books in China. They regard obtaining precious documents in China as the same as the military.
One thing about "building military exploits" is
"Martial arts", one is
"Literary skills". Therefore, no matter what excuses Shimada Han gives, visiting books is not just a scholar’s demand for books or scholarship, but a cultural expansion and possessive demand in a special era.
Of course, the Japanese's modern visit to books was backed by their strong strength and combined with their war interests.
To give a simple example, they could not enter the Shenyang Forbidden City in 1902, but they could not enter the Forbidden City in Shenyang until the Russo-Japanese War was won in 1905. This is a fact.
Fortunately, the Russo-Japanese War has not yet started, and Japan has not expanded to that point. Otherwise, with its military power, it can also become Shimada Han's weight.
